Robert Englund became a horror icon for playing Freddy Krueger in eight films, but he's done plenty of movies and TV shows since that franchise ended. Now 72-years-old, it seems quite certain that Englund will never play Freddy again in another A Nightmare on Elm Street film, a fact that continues to sadden fans. After nearly 50 years as a working actor, it's completely understandable why Englund no longer feels up to donning Freddy's razor glove and trademark sweater, but fans still invent various fantasy scenarios in which that's possible.
Every few years, a rumor hits of a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie starring Englund, but each and every time they turn out to be false, often being debunked by the actor himself. The fact that each one still manages to fool lots of people points to just how terrific Englund truly was as the Springwood Slasher, even though he's said countless times now that he's done with the role.
Thankfully, Englund has by no means left horror behind since he last stalked dreams in Freddy vs. Jason, and has in fact been quite active. Englund may not be Freddy anymore, but he's still giving genre fans lots of opportunities to see him get scary.
What Robert Englund Has Done Since Playing Freddy Krueger
Robert Englund's first big horror role post-Freddy came in 2005's 2001 Maniacs, a remake of a classic film by "godfather of gore" H.G. Lewis. Englund played Mayor Buckman, the leader of a remote southern town full of Confederate ghosts. That same year, he appeared in the Masters of Horror episode "Dance of the Dead," and also hosted a short-lived A Nightmare on Elm Street reality series that never ended up airing. In 2006, Englund played a small but memorable role in the slasher film Hatchet, and the Dr. Loomis-esque nemesis of the killer in Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. 2007 saw Englund portray a professor turned giant monster in Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, and in 2008, Englund played a strip club boss in Zombie Strippers.
In 2009, Englund starred in the FearNet web series Fear Clinic, which was adapted into a feature film in 2014. Around that same time, Englund guest starred on FOX's Bones, and played an old doctor friend of the Winchester family on The CW's Supernatural. Since 2014, Englund has added films like The Last Showing, Lake Placid vs. Anaconda, and The Funhouse Massacre to his resume. In 2018, Englund surprised and delighted fans by briefly reprising Freddy Krueger for a special Halloween episode of the 1980s-set sitcom The Goldbergs. Outside of his live-action work, Robert Englund also has a thriving voiceover career, portraying iconic comic book villains like The Riddler, Vulture, Dormammu, and Scarecrow in various animation and video game projects.